Paragraph 1

the farmer shall maintain grassland and shall not plough, level or re-seed. The farmer shall not cultivate except by chain harrow or roller;

the farmer shall graze with livestock, excluding pigs or poultry, but not so as to cause poaching, undergrazing or overgrazing;

where the farmer cuts grass for hay or silage, he shall graze the aftermath with livestock;

the farmer shall not increase existing application rates of inorganic or organic fertiliser and in any event shall not apply more than 250 kilogrammes of nitrogen per hectare per year. He shall not apply organic fertiliser within 50 metres of any spring, well or borehole supplying water for human consumption or within 10 metres of any watercourse;

the farmer shall not apply fungicides or insecticides;

the farmer shall not apply herbicides except to control nettles, spear thistle, creeping or field thistle, curled dock, broadleaved dock, ragwort or bracken. The farmer shall control infestations of these weeds by cutting or the use of herbicides. Herbicides used for these purposes shall be applied by wick applicator or spot treatment. Where bracken cannot be controlled by mechanical means, asulam shall be used;

within two years from the start of the agreement, the farmer shall obtain from a person approved by the Minister written advice on the management of any woodland, scrub and reedbeds, unless such advice was obtained under a previous agreement in respect of the same land;

the farmer shall maintain banks, pollarded willows and other trees, ponds and reedbeds using traditional methods;

the farmer shall maintain hedges using traditional methods, including stockproof hedges, which shall be kept in a stockproof condition;

the farmer shall not install underdrainage or mole drainage or use a sub-soiler. The farmer shall not modify any existing drainage system so as to bring about improved drainage;

the farmer shall maintain ditches and dykes (including banks and margins) in rotation by mechanical means. The farmer shall dry and level spoil and shall not use it to fill depressions;

the farmer shall not damage or destroy any feature of historic or archaeological interest and shall obtain written advice from a person approved by the Minister on the management of any such features;

the farmer shall dispose of sheep dip safely and shall not spread it where it may affect areas of nature conservation value;

the farmer shall obtain written advice on siting and materials from the Minister before constructing buildings or roads or before undertaking any other engineering or construction operations which do not require prior notification determination by the local planning authority under the Town and Country Planning General Development Order 1988^f1, or planning permission.